Peace Corps volunteer and UMD grad laments turmoil in Ukraine

Forced to leave Ukraine in a hasty evacuation, a UMass Dartmouth grad serving in the Peace Corps is praying for peace so he can return to a country and people he has grown to love.

STEVE DeCOSTA

Forced to leave Ukraine in a hasty evacuation, a UMass Dartmouth grad serving in the Peace Corps is praying for peace so he can return to a country and people he has grown to love.

Alex Kaplan and most American diplomats and service personnel were flown out of the Eastern European country within the last two weeks as tensions grew between the governments of Ukraine and Russia. The tension has continued to escalate, with Russia tightening its control of the Crimean peninsula and fears growing that it will expand its influence over eastern Ukraine.

"All I can say is I wish for peace and what is best for the people of Ukraine, freedom and democracy," said Kaplan, 29, who graduated from UMD in 2009.

And he'd go back in a heartbeat.

"The security situation will be assessed after 40 days and, if it is safe, I plan on returning," Kaplan said, who answered questions in writing on the advice of the Peace Corps. "I have a girlfriend there I have been dating for 10 months; I can not wait to see her again. Sadly, she could not join me. She does not possess a visa, and she can't even apply for one, since the embassy was evacuated."

"I think after a stable government is set up, it will be safe to send volunteers back to the western part of the country," said Kaplan, who was living and working in Dnepropetrovsk, geographically located in the center of Ukraine but Russian-speaking and more closely aligned with the pro-Russian East.

"The east supports Russia and is not in favor of the new government." Kaplan said. "If you are in the middle of the country, feelings are very mixed. The west clearly supports the new government. It is a very tense and complicated situation, especially with Russia taking over Crimea.

"The word invade has been used by many, but really, they have already been stationed there in Crimea for decades. They have already paid billions to lease the land, for their historic Black Sea fleet. ... They don't want to lose their military base, and are militarily posturing to protect it.

"The new government in Ukraine hates Russia, and likely would have kicked or attempted to kick them out, which is why they strategically took over first the airport, and then the whole Crimean peninsula, which is a tropical area in southeastern Ukraine, about the size of Massachusetts."

While the unrest was centered in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, "I did observe some protests, which were common in my city," Kaplan said. "One protest was mere blocks from my school. On the way home, I snapped a few pictures of the legendary Berkut military riot police."

He said he occasionally feared for his safety and now believes his girlfriend "definitely is in an increased level of danger for being my girlfriend."

Kaplan arrived in the Ukraine late in 2012 for two years of Peace Corps service.

"I had planned to complete my full two years of service, and then had planned to extend for an extra year," he said. "Technically, my service has about 10 months left, but because of PC Ukraine's special situation, we are given the option to be considered as having completed our service in full or to transfer to a new country of service."

He was sent to Dnepropetrovsk "to teach secondary education in a Jewish school, with students as young as 9 and as old as 17," he said. "I was also heavily involved in other volunteer work at the local animal/homeless shelter, the local girls orphanage, and four English clubs, as well as private one-on-one tutoring.

"I formed strong bonds with my community, my school and my girlfriend," Kaplan said. "Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the people in general, especially the kids, who are warm, kind and intelligent. The youth all seem to love America and American culture in general."

Kaplan said he is of Jewish Ukrainian heritage but is the first person in his family to return to the country since they left in 1905 due to the pogroms and rampant anti-Semitism.

That continues to be something of an issue, Kaplan said.

"I was shocked at how prevalent neo-Nazi symbols seemed to be, even in Dnepropetrovsk, the largest Jewish community in Ukraine. When I traveled to Lviv in the West, swastika graffiti seemed to be on every couple of blocks. There is still a feeling of hatred, distaste and jealousy from the older generation who still hold Cold War grudges."

With degrees in history and political science, Kaplan, who grew up in Needham, said, "I would like to continue traveling the world teaching and doing long-term volunteer work. In the distant future, I think I would like to work for the U.S. government in some capacity, possibly the State Department."

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